20 Sentence Story

(Goal: Write a complete story adding a word to each sentence until you reach 20 sentences. Start with a one-word sentence, then two words in the next sentence, three in the following sentence, and so on, progressing to a twenty-word sentence.)

Quiet. Too quiet. They were here. I knew they were. I picked up their scents. They must have been hiding somewhere. But I was running out of time. Their hiding wouldn’t do them any good anymore. They needed to know that their cover was blown. We had to get back home before they found us. But I could not find them, and they weren’t finding me. It was odd; they must have known it was me by now. I focused on their tracks, finally determining a direction to continue my search. I was getting frustrated; we didn’t have time for all this ‘hide and seek.’ The soldiers were already on my trail, and my trail would lead them right here. I continued following their scents, weaving through the labyrinth of ruined buildings as they became stronger. But something else was there, a scent that haunted me since this infernal conflict started years ago. It sent fear into my heart and speed into my limbs, and it grew stronger as I approached. As I turned the last corner and looked upon the carnage, my stomach clenched, ejecting what was not there. The soldiers already slaughtered my friends, and the approaching stomps of combat boots announced my fate would be the same.